Overtime & Working Hours in Malaysia 2026: EA 1955 Rules, Pay Rates & Limits

Quick Answer: Under the Employment Act 1955, you cannot be required to work more than 8 hours a day or 45 hours a week, and overtime is capped at 104 hours a month. Overtime is paid at least 1.5 times your hourly rate on a normal day, 2 times on a rest day and 3 times on a public holiday. These overtime rates apply to employees earning RM4,000 a month or less, and to manual workers at any salary.

Key fact	Employment Act 1955 (as at 1 January 2023)
Maximum normal hours	8 a day, 45 a week (section 60A(1))
Break	At least 30 minutes after 5 consecutive hours
Spread-over	No more than 10 hours from start to finish in a day
Overtime cap	104 hours a month (Limitation of Overtime Work Regulations 1980)
Overtime, normal day	At least 1.5 times the hourly rate
Overtime, rest day	At least 2 times the hourly rate, beyond normal hours
Overtime, public holiday	At least 3 times the hourly rate, beyond normal hours
Salary cap for overtime rates	RM4,000 a month, except manual workers and other First Schedule groups

All figures checked against the official updated text of the Employment Act 1955 published by JTKSM, on 30 September 2026.

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What are the legal working hours in Malaysia?

Under section 60A(1) of the Employment Act 1955, your contract cannot require you to work more than 8 hours in a day or 45 hours in a week.

The same section sets three more limits:

• No more than 5 consecutive hours without a break of at least 30 minutes. A break shorter than 30 minutes does not reset the count.
• A spread-over of no more than 10 hours. That is the time from the start to the end of your working day, breaks included.
• Continuous work can run to 8 consecutive hours, if it includes at least 45 minutes in total for a meal.

The 45-hour weekly limit is the one in force since the Employment (Amendment) Act 2022 took effect on 1 January 2023.

There is one flexibility. If your contract gives you fewer than 8 hours on some days, for example a half-day Saturday or a five-day week, your employer may schedule up to 9 hours on the other days. The week must still not exceed 45 hours.

The Director General of Labour can allow an employer to exceed these limits in special circumstances, on written application. Section 60A(2) also lets an employer require extra hours in emergencies, such as an accident at the workplace, urgent repairs to machinery, or work essential to the life of the community.

How is overtime pay calculated?

Overtime is any work beyond your normal hours in a day, paid at no less than 1.5 times your hourly rate under section 60A(3). Your hourly rate comes from a formula set in section 60I.

Step	Formula (monthly-paid employee)	Example: RM3,000 a month, 8-hour days
1. Ordinary rate of pay (daily)	Monthly wage ÷ 26	RM3,000 ÷ 26 = RM115.38
2. Hourly rate of pay	Daily rate ÷ normal hours of work per day	RM115.38 ÷ 8 = RM14.42
3. Overtime rate, normal day	Hourly rate × 1.5	RM14.42 × 1.5 = RM21.63 an hour

The divisor in step 1 is always 26 for monthly-paid staff, even if you work a five-day week. The divisor in step 2 is your normal hours per day, not always 8. If your contract sets 9-hour days, the same RM3,000 salary gives an hourly rate of RM12.82.

For weekly-paid staff, the ordinary rate of pay is the weekly wage ÷ 6. For daily-rated, hourly-rated and piece-rated staff, it is your total wages in the previous wage period divided by the days you actually worked.

How much do you get for working on a rest day?

Every employee gets one whole rest day a week under section 59. If you are monthly-paid and work on it, section 60(3) sets your pay by how long you work.

Work on a rest day (monthly or weekly rate)	Minimum pay	RM3,000 example
Up to half your normal hours	Half a day's wages	RM57.69
More than half, up to your normal hours	One day's wages	RM115.38
Every hour beyond your normal hours	2 times your hourly rate	RM28.85 an hour

Daily-rated and hourly-rated employees are paid more generously for the same work: one day's wages for up to half their normal hours, and two days' wages for more than half. Piece-rated workers get twice their normal rate per piece.

Your employer generally cannot force you to work on your rest day. Section 60(1) allows it only for work that must run continuously in shifts, or in the emergencies listed in section 60A(2).

How much do you get for working on a public holiday?

On a public holiday you work, section 60D(3) says you are paid two extra days' wages, on top of your normal holiday pay, however few hours you work.

Work on a paid public holiday	Minimum pay, on top of holiday pay	RM3,000 example
Any work, up to your normal hours	2 days' wages	RM230.77
Every hour beyond your normal hours	3 times your hourly rate	RM43.27 an hour
Piece-rated workers	Twice the normal rate per piece

Every employee is entitled to 11 paid public holidays a year under section 60D(1). Five are fixed: National Day, the Agong's Birthday, the birthday of your state's Ruler or Governor (or Federal Territory Day), Workers' Day and Malaysia Day. Your employer chooses the other six from the gazetted public holidays, and must post a notice listing them at the workplace before each year begins. If a public holiday falls on your rest day, the next working day becomes your paid holiday instead.

Rest-day and public-holiday work does not count towards the 104-hour monthly overtime cap. Section 60A(4) excludes it.

Is there a limit on overtime?

Yes. The Employment (Limitation of Overtime Work) Regulations 1980 cap overtime at 104 hours in any one month. The Director General of Labour can allow more, on a written application by the employer or the employees.

104 hours a month works out to about 4 hours of overtime on each of 26 working days. Hours worked on rest days and public holidays sit outside that cap.

Who is entitled to overtime pay?

Since 1 January 2023, the Employment Act covers every employee. But under the First Schedule, the overtime, rest-day and public-holiday pay rates do not apply to anyone earning more than RM4,000 a month, unless they belong to a protected group.

Employee	Overtime, rest-day and holiday pay rates apply?
Earning RM4,000 a month or less	Yes
Earning more than RM4,000 a month	No. It depends on your contract.
Manual labourer, including artisans and apprentices	Yes, at any salary
Driver or operator of a commercial vehicle	Yes, at any salary
Supervisor of manual workers	Yes, at any salary
Domestic employee	No. Domestic employees are excluded from the working-hours sections altogether.

The same RM4,000 threshold removes shift allowance and termination, lay-off and retirement benefits under section 60J. When measuring the RM4,000, the First Schedule excludes commissions, subsistence allowances and overtime pay. It is essentially your salary.

If you earn more than RM4,000, you still have the 45-hour limit, the rest day, the 11 paid public holidays and annual leave. What changes is that the Act no longer fixes how much extra you are paid for working beyond them. That is set by your contract.

Worked example: a warehouse supervisor in Shah Alam

This is a composite example. Hafiz supervises a warehouse team in Shah Alam on RM3,000 a month, with 8-hour days. In one month he works 20 hours of weekday overtime and 10 hours on a public holiday.

• Hourly rate: RM3,000 ÷ 26 ÷ 8 = RM14.42.
• Weekday overtime: 20 hours × RM21.63 = RM432.60.
• Public holiday: two days' wages (RM230.77) for the first 8 hours, plus 2 overtime hours × RM43.27 = RM86.54, a total of RM317.31.
• Total on top of his RM3,000 salary: RM749.91.

Because he supervises manual workers, Hafiz would still be entitled to these rates if his salary rose above RM4,000.

Common mistakes to avoid

1. Dividing by 8 when your normal day is longer or shorter. The hourly rate is the daily rate divided by your contractual normal hours.
2. Using 22 or 30 instead of 26. For monthly-paid staff, the Act fixes the divisor at 26.
3. Paying only 1.5 times on a public holiday. Holiday work earns two extra days' wages, and overtime hours on the day earn 3 times the hourly rate.
4. Counting rest-day work towards the 104-hour cap. Rest days and public holidays sit outside the cap.
5. Assuming the RM4,000 cap removes all rights. Above RM4,000 you lose the statutory overtime rates, not the 45-hour week, rest days or public holidays.

Take the Next Step

• Check you are paid at least the legal floor in our guide to the minimum wage in Malaysia.
• See every right the Act gives you in our guide to the Employment Act 1955.
• Earning extra from side work? Read about influencer and side-income tax.
• Work out your take-home pay, overtime included, with the salary calculator, or browse jobs on SuperJobs.

Sources

All checked 30 September 2026.

• Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), updated text as at 1 January 2023: sections 59, 60, 60A, 60D and 60I, and the First Schedule (JTKSM)
• Employment (Limitation of Overtime Work) Regulations 1980, regulation 2 (JTKSM)
• Employment (Amendment of First Schedule) Order 2022, in force 1 January 2023